Electric-railway system.



No. 67!,482. Patented Apr. 9, IBM.

P. E. HERKNER. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1 900.) (N o M o d a l 3 Sheets- Sheet I.

Inventor? Paul fiHerkner,

y Atty.

us ca mom-umu. WASHKNGYDN D c No. 67|,482. Patented Apr. 9, 190i.

P. E. HERKNER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1900. (No Model.) 3 $heets$heet 2.

Fig. 4. T

J hVGfiOOYT Paul. E. Herkner.

No. 6 7l,482. Patented Apr. 9, I90l. P. E. HERKNER.

v ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T lrii n\ H] I n ii'il 1 Witnesses. Inventor.

Atty.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL E. HERKNER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,482, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed November 30. 1900. Serial No. 38,084- (No model.)

T0 on whom, it'may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL E. HERKNER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Berlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- Railway Systems, (Case No. 1,781,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric-railway systems, and has for its object to providea means for controlling the adhesion between the track and the wheels of a car in accordance with the flow of current in the circuit of the motors on the car.

It is Well known that the adhesion between the wheels and the track may be increased by magnetizing the wheels, and systems have been heretofore proposed for obtaining such a magnetization. United States Patents Nos. 379,816 and 414,996 disclose systems of this character.

According to the present invention the resistances which are used in controlling the motors on the car are constructed in the form of magnet-spools and are so arranged and connected that they will operate to magnetize the Wheels by an amount depending upon the flow of current in the motor-circuits, so that during acceleration or braking or whenever an excessive flow of current occurs a maximum track adhesion will be obtained without the operation of any separate switching device.

My invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, while its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation and partial cross-section a car equipment with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the different circuit connections of the motor-windings and magnet-spools in the different positions of the motor-controller. Fig. 4 is a development of the contacts of a controller suitable for making the connections illustrated in Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are side and end views, respectively, of a modified form of magnet-spool. Figs. 7 and 8 are side and end views, respectively, of a further modification; and Figs. 9 and 10 show in elevation and plan an arrangement in which the magnet-spools are mounted on I of the motors and between the motors and the car-wheels are mounted the magnet-spools I), each provided with a winding 0. The several windings are connected to the motor-circuit in a manner hereinafter described, so that the current which is supplied to the propelling-motors may be caused to flow through all or a portion of them.

The heavy dotted line 01 in Figs. 1 and 2 indicates the magnetic circuit through the caraxle, wheels, and rails, the direction of the magnetization being indicated by the arrowheads. "Ihe windings c on one axle are so connected in circuit that one wheel--G, for example-will be of positive polarity and the opposite wheel D of negative polarity. The windings of the second axle are so connected that the wheel E will have a positive and the wheel F a negative polarity. The several windings 0 will thus assist each other in producing a magnetization through the circuit indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

If the track is laid on iron ties or if the track-rails are otherwise magnetically c011- nected, the different magnet-spools may be connected in such a manner that all the wheels on one side of the car will be of the same polarity and those on the other side of opposite polarity,the magnetic circuit being completed through the cross-ties or other connections.

In order to avoid as much as possible the leakage of magnetism from one wheel to the other through the axles and the truck-frame, the magnetic resistance between these parts is made proportionately large by mounting the wheels at a suitable distance from the frame and by using heavy axle-bearings, of brass or other non-magnetic material. For the same reason the brake-shoes are provided with heavy bearing-surfaces e, of non-mag netic material.

By constructing the magnet-spools -in the manner shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings and supporting them around the carwheels beneath the bearings the leakage of magnetism can also be reduced to a minimum, and,when this construction is used, by making the spool-casings sufficiently heavy they may be utilized as track-guards. The

best working arrangement when this construction is used is that shown in Figs. 7 and 8, in which the magnet-spool is provided with a steel armor which closely surrounds the wheel and extends beyond the winding into close proximity to the rail, so as to furnish a path of low reluctance for the magnetic lines generated by the magnet-spool.

lines d.

In Figs. 9 and 10 another magnetizing arrangement is'shown, by means of which portions of the railway, as well as portions of the car-wheels, are magnetized. In these figures magnet-spools c are supported on cores g and g carried by a framework g, having end portions g and g embracing the car-wheels.

In all the arrangements above described the 1 magnet-spools are suitably supported from the axle-boxes. by means of adjustable supports, so that they may be raised or lowered with respect to the upper surface of the rail to compensate for the wear of the wheels.

It is advisable to provide all of the carwheels with magnetizing-spools whether there is one or more propellingmotors on the car. With this arrangement whenever electric brakes are used these spools may be used as resistances in the'electric brake-circuit, thereby increasing the track adhesion and the safety of operation of the equipment.

In Fig. 3 the circuit connections for four of the magnet-spools cut out of circuit, and the last diagram, 6, shows all the magnet-spools cut out of circuit and two motors connected in multiple across the terminals of the motorcircuit.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a development of a controller of the series-multiple type having its contacts arranged to make the connections illustrated indiagrams of Fig. 3. ure the circular contacts 1 to 9, inclusive, represent the fixed contacts or brushes of a motor-controller, while the rectangular contact-s A indicate the movable contacts, which in the. usual constructions are mounted upon the surface of a cylinder and arranged to be rotated past the fixed contacts. When the contacts 1' to 9lie along the line 1 l in Fig. 4,

The path of the magnetic lines is indicated by the dotted a circuit is closed from the trolley T through the magnet-spools and the motor-windings ac-. cording to the diagram 1 in Fig. 3, and in the successive positions 2 2 to 6 6, inclusive, the controller-contacts operate to make the circuit connections illustrated in the succeeding diagrams of Fig. 3. 7

When the motors are to be operated as braking generators, the controller will be provided with contacts for connecting the motors, preferably in multiple with one another, in short circuit through the magnetizing-windings and then gradually cutting the said windings out of circuit as the controller is moved to its final braking position. I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate a controller arranged to make these connections, for the reason that such controllers are well known and in common use and may be applied to the purposes of myinvention by merely substituting the magnetizing-winding b in place of the resistances commonly employed in the braking-circuits.

In order to obtain a finely-graduated regulation, the controller may be provided with more than six power positions and each of the magnet-spools may be divided into two or more sections, the particular arrangement required depending upon whether the car is provided with one or more motors and whether large or small controlling resistances are desired. Further, the magnet-spools may constitute only a part of the regulating resistance in the motor-circuit, the other portion being formed ofthe resistance-sections ordinarily employed in such connection.

By substituting magnetizing-windings for all or a portion of the resistance-sections ordinarily employed in controlling the motors of an electrically-operated car I am enabled .to utilize the energy which has heretofore been wasted in heating the resistances to magnetize the axles and wheels of the car and to increase the adhesion between the wheels and the track without any greater complication in circuit connections than already exists in motor-control circuits. The adhesion is regulated automatically in accordance with the strength of the current and the pull of the motors, so that the total adhesion is large whenever a large amount of power is expended in propelling or braking the car. This arrangement is particularly advantageous in connection with electricallyoperated rapid-service passenger-trains and freight-locomotives, in which'during the period of starting a very heavy current and high acceleration are required, and by means of my invention light locomotives and cars equipped with high-power motors may be used, so that unnecessary weight need not be carried during the whole trip. In this manner the load on the bearings, axles, track, bridges, &c., is reduced to a minimum, and therefore the safety of the system increased.

While I have illustrated my invention in connection with a controller of the seriesmultiple type, it will be understood that the particular type of controller employed has nothing to do withnly invention, it being only essential that the magnetizing-windings shall be utilized as resistances in the motorcircuits.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric-railway system, magnetizing-windings for increasing the adhesion between the track and the wheels, and means for including said windings in circuit with the windings of the propelling-motors.

2. In an electric-railway system, a propelling motor or motors, a controller therefor, and magnetizing-windings coustitu ting resistance-sections for said controller.

3. In an electric-railway system, magnetizing-windings for increasing the adhesion between the track and the wheels, and means for including said windings in circuit with the propelling-motors during acceleration.

4. In an electric-railway system, magnetizing-windings for increasing the adhesion between the track and the wheels and a motorcontroller havingits contacts arranged to first include said windings in circuit with the motors and subsequently to cut said windings out of circuit.

5. In an electric-railway system, in combination, one or more propelling-motors, magnetizing-windings for increasing the adhesion between the track and the car-wheels, a motor-controller, and circuit connections uniting said magnetizing-windings and the wind ings of said motors to the controller-contacts, the said controller being constructed and arranged to utilize the magnetizing-windings as controlling resistances in circuit with the propelling-motors.

6. As a means for increasing the adhesion between the track and the wheel of a railwaycar, a magnetizing-coil closely surrounding said wheel, and a body of magnetic material, constituting a support for said winding, extending around said coil on the side away from the wheel.

7. In combination in a railway-car, a magnetizing-winding closely surrounding a wheel of said car, and an armor of magnetic material for said winding, the said armor closely surrounding the wheel and extending on the outside of the winding into close proximity to the rail so as to furnish a path of low reluctance for the magnetic lines generated by the magnetizing-winding.

8. A track-guard for the wheel of a railway-car, comprising a body of magnetic material constructed to closely surround said wheel in proximity to the rail, the said guard being recessed on its inner side adjacent to the wheel and provided with a magnetizingwinding mounted within said recess.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my- 

